The Local Maximum with Max Sklar - podcast cover

The Local Maximum with Max Sklar

Expand Your Perspectivelocalmaximum.substack.com
Join Max Sklar and guests in this podcast about AI, technology, and society. Email [email protected] for questions and feedback. Show notes page on the website: www.localmaxradio.com

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Episodes

Ep. 297 - Stephan Kinsella: The Fallacy of Intellectual Property

Max talks to Stephan Kinsella, a libertarian intellectual property lawyer who ardently challenges the very foundations of IP. Kinsella delves deep into the core arguments underpinning intellectual property and the inherent fallacies. They also discuss the impact of generative AI on the copyright landscape. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Sep 27, 202352 min

Ep. 296 - Government vs Google and Amazon Anti-Trust

Todays guest is Adam Kovacevich of Chamber of Progress who brings us the latest in the suits that federal government agencies are bringing against Google and Amazon. Who is behind this, what is being alleged, why now, and what might be the consequences? localmaxradio.com/296 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Sep 19, 202333 min

Ep. 295 - Rewriting the Constitution: Did the Founders Screw up the Senate

Max and Aaron talk about Max's newly-released research paper, Toward a New Great Compromise, which includes a refresh of the US Constitutional structure. Max shares what he learned about the founders of the country and why some of our institutions have been failing as of late. localmaxradio.com/295 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Sep 12, 20231 hr 4 min

Ep. 294 - State Chains and Copyright Claims

Max describes "state chain" technology, which he believes could solve some of the problems associated with the previous crypto collapse. He also gives an update on the court cases around copyright infringement and whether you can copyright an AI-generated work that are currently make their way through the American judicial system. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Sep 07, 202332 min

Ep. 293 - Twitter Rants: Jon Stewart, Scrum, and Just Plain Numbers

Max and Aaron have a little fun in a late night record, and examine Twitter rants about the rise of late night snark comedy, and scrum. They talk about the nature of corporate fads, and end on going down a rabbit hole of continued fractions. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Aug 29, 202340 min

Ep. 292 - Copyright Clashes, Literary Science, and Rational Distributions

Max and Aaron do an August news update with discussion about the closure of Prosecraft, a small site dedicated to literary analysis which was shut down due to copyright and ownership concerns. Will these types of internet mobs and legal actions bring a chilling effect on innovation? Probability Distribution of the Week: Max's First Idea on Rational Distributions Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Aug 21, 202345 min

Ep. 290 - Generational Turnings versus Technological Change

Max talks about how Strauss-Howe generational theory and the turnings interact with technology as he reviews the book "The First Turning: A Vision of America and a World at Peace" by Carol Engler. Distribution of the Week: The Wishart Distribution Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Aug 09, 202345 min

Ep. 289 - Revamping Dental Tech with Melissa Luvisi

Max interviews Melissa Luvisi from tab32 as they dissect the intersection of dentistry and technology. They explore the software deficits plaguing the medical field, how dentistry is lagging, and how it can take a quantum leap forward. Luvisi shares her insights on harnessing health data, addressing security and privacy issues, and the promising future of dental tech. localmaxradio.com/289 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Aug 01, 202333 min

Ep. 288 - Is Artificial Intelligence a Threat to Humanity?

Max and Aaron discuss the arguments put forth by Eliezer Yudkowsky and some AI researchers about "existential threats" posed by the technology. They end with some predictions on the subject. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Jul 25, 20231 hr

Ep. 287 - The Rise and Fall of ESG with Peter Earle

Today's guest is Peter C. Earle, economist at AIER. The topic is ESG: Environment, Social, and Governance regulations, and the theory behind it that says corporations should be run for the benefit of interests outside the shareholders. They explore the rise of ESG criteria in a low interest rate environment, and ask whether ESG on its way out. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Jul 18, 202339 min

Ep. 286 - Consciousness Bets, Reverse Turing Tests, and Display Tech

Max talks about a bet that two academics made 25 years ago about the nature of consciousness that has recently been settled. He also talk about the idea of a "reverse Turing Test". We also get an update on the latest display tech, with reviews on foldable phones and color e-ink making a comeback. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Jul 12, 202332 min

Ep. 285 - Max Changes the Constitution, Part III

Max and Aaron complete their discussion on Max's constitutional proposals, now focusing on the representative-ness of the house and electoral college as a counterbalance to the senate and executive council. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Jul 04, 202343 min

Ep. 284 - Max Changes the Constitution, Part II

Max and Aaron continue their discussion on Max's constitutional proposals, this time focusing on the function of the senate and the possibility of an executive council. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Jun 27, 202339 min

Ep. 283 - Max Changes the Constitution, Part I

Max woke up one day and decided to do a rewrite of the US constitution with a long amendment. Aaron discusses this with him over drinks outdoors in the dead of night. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Jun 20, 202335 min

Ep. 282 - Meganets with David Auerbach

Max talks to author and software engineer David Auerbach about his new book Meganets: How Digital Forces Beyond Our Control Commandeer Our Daily Lives and Inner Realities. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Jun 12, 202338 min

Ep. 281 - The Mixed Reality Moment

Max and Aaron discuss Apple's announcement of the Vision Pro at WWDC, and what it means for mixed reality, the metaverse, and emerging technology. Probability Distribution of the Week: Student's T-Distribution Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Jun 06, 202346 min

Ep. 280 - How to Attack Truth Seeking

Max responds to a recent account of high school debate judges and how the process of truth seeking is under attack. Probability Distribution of the Week: Cauchy Distribution Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

May 31, 202334 min

Ep. 279 - Covid and Civil Liberties

Max and Aaron discuss Neil Gorsuch's statement in a supreme court decision that emergency measures during Covid may have been the greatest peacetime intrusion on American civil liberties in history. Probability Distribution of the Week: Von Mises-Fisher Distribution and Circular Distributions in General Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

May 23, 202359 min

Ep. 278 - Proof of Stake, Map Powers, and Google answer OpenAI

Max talks about Ethereum's move to proof of stake and what tradeoffs it brings to the crypto markets. He also discusses Google's plan to upgrade maps at their IO conference, and their new product Bard in relation to chatGPT. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

May 17, 202338 min

Ep. 277 - Open Source Sagas with Max Howell

Max talks to Homebrew creator Max Howell about open source software, package managers, and his new project tea.xyz . Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

May 09, 202341 min

Ep. 276 - The Dictator of Easton at 21

Max and Aaron discuss and provide commentary for their 2002 high school film, The Dictator of Easton. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

May 02, 202351 min

Ep. 275 - Connecticut Chronicles, Columbia Conferences & Questioning Bots

Aaron talks to Max about his move to Connecticut. They review Columbia University's data science day. A touch of Twitter news and a tweet we thought was interesting on rationality. Probability Distribution of the Week: Multivariate Gaussian Distribution (or Normal Distribution) Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Apr 25, 202355 min

Ep. 274 - Quantum Computing with Ian MacCormack

Today's discussion is all about Quantum Physics and Quantum Computing as Max talks to Ian who has a PhD in Physics and is actually a practitioner when it comes to quantum computing. localmaxradio.com/274 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Apr 18, 202358 min

Ep. 273 - Stop Making AI Boring

Max grumbles about the corporate and dry nature of MLConf and the talks from top companies, even as the world of AI and ML explodes in controversy, breakthroughs and new applications. - Should AI research be Paused for 6 months? - Are "X for Good" talks always evil? - Are engineers afraid to share any perspective slightly outside the mainstream? Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Apr 12, 202331 min

Ep. 272 - Data Science History with Chris Wiggins and Matthew Jones

Chris Wiggins and Matthew Jones dive into a new book called "How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms" with Max. We learn that we can reach back into data history and find stories that experienced scientists and engineers are will find surprising at present. Chris Wiggins is an associate professor of applied mathematics at Columbia University and the Chief Data Scientist at The New York Times. Matthew is the James R. Barker Professor of Contemporary Civilizati...

Apr 04, 202337 min

Ep. 271 - Semiconductors, Lithography, and Moore's Law with Adam Kane of ASML

Max interview's Adam Kane of ASML about the industrial processes which make hardware innovation possible. They cover extreme UV lithography, the law of accelerating returns, and implications for software engineers. www.localmaxradio.com/271 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 28, 202327 min

Ep. 270 - Exciting and Terrifying: NYT Podcast Trashing, GPT4, and Bank Runs

Todays news update starts on the lighter side with an article from the New York Times that seeks to denigrate podcasters by branding them as the "podcast bro". Then we get into the release of GPT4 just months after chatGPT shook the world of AI and tech, and the bank runs at Silicon Valley Bank and elsewhere. Probability distribution of the week: Exponential Distribution localmaxradio.com/270 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Mar 21, 20231 hr 12 min

Ep. 269 - Image Recognition Technology for Health with Susan Conover

Today's guest is Susan Conover, cofounder and CEO of Piction Health, which brings Image Recognition AI technology to the practice of dermatology. This Boston-based company has started to launch their product throughout New England. Susan talks to Max about how the technology could be used to help patience more effectively, and the challenges of bringing change to healthcare and being an entrepreneur. https://www.localmaxradio.com/269 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack....

Mar 14, 202335 min

Ep. 268 - Pascal's Mugging, Doomsday Clocks, and the AGI Debate

Max discovers Pascal's Mugging, the counterpoint to Pascal's Wager. He speculates about the category of errors (and sometimes scams) made by doomsayers in every field including most recently general artificial intellgence. Probability Distribution of the Week: Gamma Distribution Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 07, 202334 min
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